Shadar Amontillado
by Author37
Summary: When Montresor is told by Fortunado that he must give up his property and gold to the Dragon Reborn, he swears revenge on the one who demanded it.


**Shadar Amontillado**

Montresor's Task

Montresor glowered at Fortunato, thinking of the sweet vengeance he would wreak upon the man. The fool thought that he could insult Montresor, the Great Lord's servant? Fury barely held in, the nobleman planned out his revenge, refusing to strike at the man until the time was ripe. Perhaps it was time to use the weapon given to him by his master. pulling a ring of silver lined with runes of the Old Tongue. from his jacket's inside pocket, he put it on, and felt the bones of the dead around him.

A sense of power came to him. Cyndane demanded that Fortunato not be harmed, but Montresor had been told by Moridin that he must cause the Dragon Reborn to suffer, and losing this man would cause his mood to grow ever darker. If dark enough, he would turn upon the world and destroy it, letting his master break free of his prison.

A group of skeletons shuffled out of the cellar, where he was waiting for them. He directed them towards a servant, tied up with wide eyes. He gave her a cruel smile. "You have served me well. This is your final act of service to me. Thank you," he said. She started to struggle as the shuffling corpses dragged themselves towards her. She tried to scream for help, but there was none to be found. The corpses pulled at their ribs, making them point outward. The grabbed her, pulling her towards them. Her screams of terror turned into screams of agony. Montresor laughed as she went hoarse. _What was her name again? Tulli? Yes, that sounds right. _He thought He smiled, remembering her utter terror of him.

He twisted his ring, and the skeletons dropped down, completely inert. Moridin stepped out his gateway. Moridin looked at the corpse, and shook his head. "So, you're enjoying your new toy, Montresor? I worried that you wouldn't be able to grasp how to use it, but you have proven more intelligent than most of this age." Moridin said. The Chosen smiled at him. It was gratifying to have one of the _Chosen _praising him. "Stand up. You should know that we aren't gods, of all people."  
"I was simply showing the respect that is due to one of the Great Lord's greatest servant, Nae'blis," spoke Montresor as he stood up. Moridin gave him a twisted smile. That was something he liked to show people, a sign of his madness, hiding within his eyes, but still there. Even the other Chosen didn't realize what they were looking at. They feared him, but not enough.

"It's time for you to make al'Thor suffer," said Moridin. The smile disappeared as he looked north. He seemed distracted. "You will kill Fortunato, his closest advisor. Even Perrin Aybara, his childhood friend, isn't as trusted as Fortunato. Do this and you will be rewarded beyond even that ring."

"Of course, Nae'blis. What about Cyndane's orders, my lord?" Montresor asked.

"She will not punish you for performing tasks for me. I will deal with her." As Montresor looked up from his ring, he saw that moridin was gone. "Do not fail me in this task, or death will be a mercy for you."

Montresor shivered. Visits from any of the chosen were usually unpleasant, but moridin seemed more off than usual. It scared him. Montresor chook his head and entered his manor, planning his revenge in earnest. Perhaps Fortunato disappearing would convince the Dragon Reborn that he couldn't trust anybody.

Fortunato's Demise

Fortunato, Voice of the Dragon, High Lord of Cairhien, left al'Thor's side, going into the city of Cairhien join in the revel's of the people. The celebration left everyone in a cheerful mood, even the Rand. The boy, for he was still young, was carrying too much upon his shoulders, trying to make himself too hard. The Voice of the Dragon smiled as he passed a group of pretty girls, looking over his shoulder to watch them leave his sight.

Entering a tavern, Fortuned ordered some ale and started a card game with, of all people, Montresor. The lord seemed less angry at him than when he had left, but that was probably because he realized that it was the Dragon, not Fortunato that demanded the supplies of the nobleman.

Halfway through the game, Montresor asked for some help from Fortunato regarding some wine he had ordered. "Its from Shara, and I want you to decide if it's any good and therefore worth keeping. You've proven better at that than anyone else in Cairhien, even more so than Luchesi. Could I gain your assistance?"

Despite his cough and the Aes Sedai's insistence that he should rest, or at least let them heal him of whatever ailed him, Fortunato laughed off their worries and left for the city. He grinned and said, "Of course. It wouldn't do for me to let my friend lose money on cheap wine." Montresor insisted that it could wait, that he wouldn't want to cause Fortunato to become even more sick, even that Luchesi could perform the same task, but Fortunato waved him off easily. Grabbing his conical cap, with bells jingling, he urged his friend to take him to his cellar.

"It isn't in a cellar, for there the servants could get to it. Normally I would indulge upon them and let them at it, but not when I have this Sharan wine. I have put them in the catacombs of my ancestors. None will enter there without my expressed permission. Come. Let us be off." he spoke in a confident manner, something he didn't have when they had talked a week ago. He also didn't have that silver ring.

"What does your ring say?" asked Fortunato. He hadn't read in the Old Tongue for a long time. The meaning of them escaped him.

"The dead shall rise out of the Dark." he said. "It means that though the Dark One is Lord of the Grave, he can't hold the spirits of the dead hostage. Is this not a relief?"

Troubled, Fortunato saw it differently, but decided to remain silent on the subject. "I see that lines of nitre are inside your catacombs. Do you have a drink to hold off the cold?" he asked. It was tradition for those leading non-family into the tombs of their ancestors to make the visitor drunk so that they don't remember the experience as well.

Pulling out a jug of Medoc, Montresor handed it to Fortunato, who, admittedly, drank more than he should have. And so they continued onward into the catacombs.

They emerged from the cramped tunnels into a spacious room with a surprisingly small door. Barely on his feet, Fortunato inquired upon the Sharan wine. "It is over here." said Montresor, leading his friend to the far side of the room. Then, without warning, Montresor grabbed the chains hanging from the wall and wrapped them around Fortunato.

"By the Light, what are you doing?" spluttered the drunk man. Montresor laughed, twisting his ring as he left. The bones sprang to life, revealing the tools for putting up a wall. _Why are they putting up a wall?_ wondered Fortunato.

Their intent became apparent to him after the third level of stonework was in place on the door. They were boxing him in. Frantic, Fortunato screamed out at them, "Mother's milk in a cup, what are you doing?"

Montresor laughed at his anguished cries. "You always did drink too much Fortunato. I once told you it would be your demise. My prophesy holds true." He let loose another laugh. "Did I ever tell you the name of this place? It's Shadar Amontillado. Take his flesh when you are done with your work, my pets."

The footsteps of Montresor echoed away as he left the catacombs. When the seventh level of stone was in place, Fortunato started laughing hysterically, then screaming in terror. In the end, he was quiet. If he was going to die, he would not give the man the satisfaction of listening to him whimper as he died.

When the last stone was put in place, Fortunato could hear the Skeletons clatter together as they shuffled towards him. Soon he felt their bony fingers clawing at his flesh, and their ribs, pointing out at weird angles, tearing through muscle and scraping his own bones. It was too much for him. He screamed in terror and pain as they tore at him. Then, after being torn a thousand times, his vision faded to the darkness of death. He thought he heard the Dark One laughing as he entered the evil one's realm.

A Battle of Will

Perrin shifted from the real world into the Wolf Dream, sending himself into it physically, then to Cairhien. The last of the Dark One's hidden darkfriends had been rooted out, except for the noble Montresor, whom Perrin was sent to battle.

Faile had insisted that he help in this task, if only to keep him busy until she had the Two Rivers, his domain, sorted out enough that he wouldn't be overwhelmed when he returned. He sent his thoughts to the surrounding wolves and asked for information about Montresor.

A wolf answered, Harsh Breeze being her name, _Bone Puppeteer is surrounded by the bones he controls. We will help hunt him._

Perrin led the wolves through the manor grounds, into the giant house from an open window, and into inner workings of the building. A skeleton came upon him, trying to grab him and pull him into the ribs. Perrin smashed his hammer into the face of the monster, and led his wolves through the halls into the Dance Room, where Montresor waited for them. As they entered, they were greeted by the sight of a thousand skeletons dancing, a balcony overlooking the scene on the far side of the room.

Fearing the possibility of Montresor sending his skeletons to attack, Perrin launched himself at the madman, shifting into the Wolf Dream as he did. He glided across the room and onto the balcony, where he shifted back to the real world. The wolves were holding off the army of bones. Montresor launched his hand at Perrin, sending thousands of bones through the air at the Wolf King. Perrin shifted again, this time behind the man, and swung his hammer. The hammer struck bone, and Montresor collapsed onto the stone floor.

The bones all seemed to become transparent, and the barrier between the Wolf Dream and the real world thinned. The bones gathered around the body of Montresor and became a giant monster. Perrin forced his will into the monster, and the thing seemed to waver, but came together once more. This had to be the work of a bubble of evil, set to burst when Montresor died. His body at least, because his voice rang from the mouth of the beast.

"I will destroy you, Perrin Aybara. If it's the last thing I do, I will destroy you." it was the voice of a desperate man, grasping at straws more than a man ready to wreak unbelievable havoc, as Perrin was led to believe. However, Perrin would not let Montresor escape. The man was as dangerous and Padan Fain had been, which was a story for another time.

Perrin set his will against Montresor's, and they battered at each other like rival armies against fortresses. But Perrin was stronger than Montresor. He would NOT let this evil win. Slamming everything he had against the monster, he broke the man. The bones turned to dust, and through the sheer force of his mind, convinced the man he was an idiot beyond the help of anyone. The darkfriend didn't stir, not even when he was miles away from Perrin. The man was turned into an idiot.


End file.
